Santa Clara Women's Soccer Opens NCAA Tournament Against Cal

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -
The Santa Clara women's soccer team faces Cal-Berkley in the first round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament on Friday, Nov. 16. Kick off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at Cagan Stadium on the campus of Stanford University. This is the Broncos 19th consecutive appearance in the tournament and the first time since the 2001 season that Santa Clara will not play host to the first and second rounds.

Following the Broncos contest, No. 5 Stanford will battle Sacramento State at 7 p.m. The winners of the two games advance to the second round contest that will be held at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 18.

Ticket Information
Tickets are available either by calling 1-800-STANFORD or by purchasing them in person at the ticket office located at Gate 2 of Stanford Stadium. Tickets are priced at $8 for adults and $5 for children/students/seniors. Tickets for Friday are good for both games.

Last Week For Bronco Women's Soccer
SCU closed out the 2007 regular season on a two-game winning streak as it defeated Saint Mary's in convincing fashion on Nov. 10. The Broncos posted a 3-0 shutout of the Gaels on Senior Day at Buck Shaw Stadium with two of the honorees scoring goals. Kendall Doherty started things off in the as she found herself on the receiving end of one of Kiki Bosio's infamous flip throws. Thirty seconds later Doherty put the Broncos up 2-0 on a quick header over the goalkeeper. Fellow senior Meagan Snell finished out the scoring for the afternoon just eight seconds later as she tapped the ball off the post.

At the end of the regular season, Bosio and captain Brittany Klein tied for first place on the squad in goals (seven each), while Bosio led the team in assists (6) and points (20).

Eight Broncos Receive All-WCC Honors
The Santa Clara women's soccer team had seven players receive All-West Coast Conference accolades for their performance this season. Headlining the list was redshirt senior Tina Estrada, who picked up her fourth honor as she was a second team selection.

Santa Clara in the NCAA Tournament
Santa Clara is a combined 40-17-1 (.711) overall in NCAA Tournament play, and has made 10 appearances in the College Cup, the second-most of any school in the nation, behind only North Carolina.

Last fall was the first time in 15 seasons that the Broncos did not advance to at least the third round.

On neutral ground, which Friday's contest would be, the Broncos are 5-8 but are 2-0 against Cal in postseason action. If SCU was to advance and play Stanford, the Broncos own a 4-1 record over the Cardinal in the postseason, whereas a potential meeting with Sacramento State would be the first in postseason play.

SCU and NCAA Records
Redshirt senior Estrada is the only Bronco on this year's squad to be ranked in two career postseason categories. She is tied for eighth in goals with five and holds the No. 7 spot in points with 13.

In a single game, Estrada was the last player to tie the record of two goals scored on Nov. 11, 2005 against Fresno State in the opening round. The time between those two goals, 10:38, is also the current postseason record for time elapsed between individual goals.

At Cagan Stadium
This season alone, Santa Clara is unbeaten at Cagan Stadium with a record of 2-0-1. The Broncos participated in the 2007 Stanford Tournament in September and defeated then-No. 12 Rutgers and Missouri with a score of 2-1 in both games. Later on in October, the Broncos battled the then-No. 1 Cardinal to a 0-0 double overtime draw. Since 1980, Santa Clara has played 36 contests on the Stanford campus against the Cardinal and neutral opponents and own a 22-9-5 in Palo Alto.

Bronco Seniors Break Records
As they celebrated their final regular season game at Buck Shaw Stadium, seniors Doherty and Snell went out with a bang as they broke two program records.

Doherty netted her first two goals of the season thirty seconds apart to break the former time elapsed between goals for an individual of 0:54. The previous record was set by Kristi DeVert in 1991.

When Snell scored the third and final goal of the game just eight seconds later, the tandem cracked the team record for time elapsed between goals. The previous record of 15 seconds was set by Kristi Candau and Micaela Esquivel in 2002.

Scouting Cal
The Bears enter the NCAA tournament for the 15th time and ninth in the last 10 years. No. 11 Cal rides a six-game winning streak into the tournament.

Cal leads the all-time series 15-13-3, which includes a 2-0 win earlier this season at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Bears and Broncos have met twice in the NCAA Tournament, with SCU posting a 2-0 shutout in 2000 and a 2-1 triumph in 2004.

The Bears are led by current Pac-10 Player of the Week Valerie Barnes and Alex Morgan. Both players have scored seven goals this season, while Barnes has tallied a team-best 16 points. Setting things up for cal has been Caitlin Hannegan and Stephanie Weiger, who are tied for first on the team in assists. In goal, Gina Pellegrini has seen the majority of action, posting 45 saves and four shutouts.

On Deck
The winners of Sunday's second round contest advance to the Sweet 16, which will be held on either Nov. 23, 24 or 25.